The Bull lets a harsh breath out through his nose, gritting his teeth and angry at himself. He's been going over that last fight, because just keeping his eye out for more assholes in their way's automatic enough that it's not a great distraction from all the bullshit radiating up his leg and because he needs to, because by now you would think he'd know how to watch out for the damn ankle in a fight. Couple things he could have done differently but he's still trying to think through it, figure out if he'd be thinking differently without the ankle, the knee, the bones and joints and every inch of tendon and connective tissue in between taking up so much space inside his head. Pain is greedy, Vasaad had told him about a million years ago. But you show that worthless vashebas who the tough one is, don't give it an inch, and it's going to make you unstoppable.
Little harder to do once the battle's done and there's no one left to turn the river toward, no one to get caught up in the force of it but the inside of his own head. Something Vasaad never realised. Something Hissrad never realised either, not until he came out here with Vidathiss' words fresh in the back of his head, the glue holding him together not yet dried, and became the Iron Bull and started getting hurt again. Makes sense, though. The way Hissrad learned to fight is a weapon with two edges to it, and by now the Bull is used to dealing with that. Doesn't make it any more fun though, when the weapon's still here inside him wanting to be used but there's no one around to turn it on. No one to fight and only himself to blame, maybe, if you don't count the corpse. That Venatori got the hit in but the Bull is the one here now, and he's still got to decide how mad at himself he should actually be. Not making a whole lot of progress there, but it's something.
Another heavy breath, louder than he wants it to be, the feeling and the noise of it sharp and intense as he catches himself, jaw going even tighter at the second round of invisible teeth tearing inside his leg as his foot finishes dragging over the root and then thumps back onto the ground. He holds himself steady, still, in the instant before he's able to catch his balance and shift his weight back to his right foot again. Dent in the damn brace, he forgot, means he can't lift his foot like he's used to. Going to have to get it repaired next time he gets a chance, and in the mean time he's going to have to be smart enough to stop tripping over shitting roots. Doesn't mean he can't fight, any of it. Just makes everything more of a pain in the ass until then.
A couple of the soldiers who got sent on the team with him give him a glance -- concerned but clearly nervous, hasn't had enough time with these guys to get them used to the Iron Bull so if he jerks his head just so, wears the right expression when he does it, focus on doing your job, they're too scared of him to push it. He might feel like that's a problem later, the guys who should be trusting him to watch their backs so clearly afraid of him, but right now he's only glad. No point in wasting anyone's time or attention on something that's going to give him an edge in the next fight, help the team protect the guy who needs them to stay on their toes long enough to get him to that temple and out of it again. It's going to be a pain in the ass, but it's going to give him an edge. He knows how to use it. Has to, so he will. It's not the kind of injury that won't keep for a while and it isn't going to stop him, and so he keeps going.
for sleepyscholar
Little harder to do once the battle's done and there's no one left to turn the river toward, no one to get caught up in the force of it but the inside of his own head. Something Vasaad never realised. Something Hissrad never realised either, not until he came out here with Vidathiss' words fresh in the back of his head, the glue holding him together not yet dried, and became the Iron Bull and started getting hurt again. Makes sense, though. The way Hissrad learned to fight is a weapon with two edges to it, and by now the Bull is used to dealing with that. Doesn't make it any more fun though, when the weapon's still here inside him wanting to be used but there's no one around to turn it on. No one to fight and only himself to blame, maybe, if you don't count the corpse. That Venatori got the hit in but the Bull is the one here now, and he's still got to decide how mad at himself he should actually be. Not making a whole lot of progress there, but it's something.
Another heavy breath, louder than he wants it to be, the feeling and the noise of it sharp and intense as he catches himself, jaw going even tighter at the second round of invisible teeth tearing inside his leg as his foot finishes dragging over the root and then thumps back onto the ground. He holds himself steady, still, in the instant before he's able to catch his balance and shift his weight back to his right foot again. Dent in the damn brace, he forgot, means he can't lift his foot like he's used to. Going to have to get it repaired next time he gets a chance, and in the mean time he's going to have to be smart enough to stop tripping over shitting roots. Doesn't mean he can't fight, any of it. Just makes everything more of a pain in the ass until then.
A couple of the soldiers who got sent on the team with him give him a glance -- concerned but clearly nervous, hasn't had enough time with these guys to get them used to the Iron Bull so if he jerks his head just so, wears the right expression when he does it, focus on doing your job, they're too scared of him to push it. He might feel like that's a problem later, the guys who should be trusting him to watch their backs so clearly afraid of him, but right now he's only glad. No point in wasting anyone's time or attention on something that's going to give him an edge in the next fight, help the team protect the guy who needs them to stay on their toes long enough to get him to that temple and out of it again. It's going to be a pain in the ass, but it's going to give him an edge. He knows how to use it. Has to, so he will. It's not the kind of injury that won't keep for a while and it isn't going to stop him, and so he keeps going.